Prep track: BC's Saurbier takes second in pole vault at state meet

Barron Collier High's Brooke Saurbier clears the bar in the girls pole vault at the Class 3A state track and field finals on May 4, 2012 at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville. Saurbier tied for second place. Kevin Johnson/Staff

JACKSONVILLE - Naples High and Barron Collier both had top-three individual performances Friday at the FHSAA Class 3A track and field finals at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida.

In the field events, Barron Collier's Brooke Saurbier tied for second with East Ridge's Stephanie Cook in the girls pole vault competition. The two seniors cleared 11 feet, but Lecanto High School senior Anna Heinzman won the event by clearing 11-6.

It was the third straight runner-up finish for Saurbier at the state meet.

"Today was a really good day," Saurbier said. "There is a bunch of good competition here so I'm proud of what I did. I'd just like to thank my coaches and parents."

In the running events, Naples High junior Danielle Avery had the best individual performance of the area schools. Avery's preliminary time 2:14.48 was good enough to place her in lane six for the girls 800 meter final.

Heading into the day, Avery said her goal was to place in the top three. She achieved that goal by placing third in 2:15.09.

"It was amazing," Avery said. "The competition out here is high caliber. It was a great experience to get out there and place top three. That was my goal but to actually get it was a really nice experience. It was great."

Avery, being only a junior and always looking to improve, said she hopes to use Friday's strong performance as a stepping stone to better finishes next spring.

"It depends on the level of competition, but obviously winning it would be great," Avery said. "So I'm just aiming for (personal records) and getting great times."

Estero High had four individuals advance to their respective finals. Junior Kacy Smith had the school's best performance of the day, placing fourth in the girls 1,600 meters with a time of 5:00.22, while Wildcats junior Jose Cartagena was ninth in the boys 800 in 1:57.49. Estero junior Katy Solis started on lane one for the girls 3,200 meters but crossed the line 11th in 11:13.01. Senior Aaron Rojas placed ninth in the boys 3,200 meters in 9:40.

Bartram Trail took home the Class 3A boys team championship with 37 points. Miami Northwestern followed with 31 and Gainesville earned 29 points for third.

For the girls, it was Northwestern who ran away with the team title, scoring 76 points. Tallahassee-Chiles was second with 44 points, and Evans scored 35.50 to place third.